EU welcomes France, Bitain cooperation on migration crisis

Brussels, Aug 21 (IANS) Senior European Union (EU) officials welcomed British and French authorities’ cooperation over the migration situation in Calais and highlighted efforts in dealing with migration pressure in Europe.

European Commission’s first vice-president Frans Timmermans, and migration and home affairs commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said in a joint statement on Thursday, Xinhua reported.

It said the very operational measures announced in Calais by French and British ministers “will help speed up the processing of the asylum seekers and ensure the swift return of the irregular migrants”.

The officials announced that they would both visit Calais on August 21 to discuss the next steps.

They said the European Commission is deeply committed to delivering every aspect of the European Agenda on Migration and support member states in dealing with the current migration crisis.

“Managing migration is not just about emergencies, but also about long-term solutions,” they said, adding that “we need a permanent emergency relocation mechanism”.